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la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

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dernidra  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  —^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 

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film6s  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
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et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n^cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 


' 

liiustrent  la  mdthode. 

rata 

i-                            .  .    .         ■ 

> 
elure. 

1 

2 

3 

1 

« 

2 

3 

^  '■* 

2 

3 

■^~ 

4 

5 

6 

32X 

1 

I 

■A   't 


T 


I  : 


L'.  S.  Kevenue  Cutter  "  Bear     CnmimmicalmE  wift  Siberian   Deermen. 
ll''roiii  a  pluitojfraph  by  Dr.  S.  J.  Call.] 


ALASKA  AND  THE  PEINDEER. 


HY    IJEUT.    J.    C.    CASnnrELX.. 


^fS.HK  landing 
t     T  from     t  li  e 

'^i  "^1  I'nited  States  reve- 
'  line  cutter  Brar.  at 
Port  Clarence.  Alas- 
ka, d  u  r  i  11  ji  the 
inoiitli  of  July,  i.Sy2, 
of  a  herd  of  iso 
domesticated  reindeer  ])urchased  in 
Siberia,  toj;ether  witli  four  native 
vSiberiaii  herders,  marks  the  establish- 
ment of  the  first  herd  of  the  kind  on 
the  Western  continent.  This  is  an 
event  of  more  than  ordinary  imjx.r- 
taiice.  If  it  is  successful  it  will 
create  throughout  Northern  and  Cen 
tral  Alaska  a  new  food  su])])ly  in 
l)lace  of  the  walrus,  wliale,  fish  and 
fur-bearinj;-  land  animals  that  are 
yearly  becoming  .scarcer  and  more 
difficult  to  obtain. 

Kurnislied  a  better  and  .surer  fiMid 
sup})ly,  the  native  Ivskimo  population 
now  decreasing  in  numbers  may  rea- 
soiialdy  be  expected  to  increa.se  ;  and 
changing  them  from  mere  hunters  to 
herd.sineii    will     be    the   fir.st    npwani 


<.ir.   - 
tit    __■■_ 

tioT. 

thr     . 
intt:  •     - 

t.e    -.;_.■ 

mer: - 
loEw"     ' 
bki,.    . 
pla-  - 
Iktc-  ''--<-. 
]KTi\y  : 


yearh" 
in  tbt 
ticJD    ■ < 
say 
of   : 


I'.v 


were    ;» 


•;   their  civilization.     With 

:i.-e  and   civilization    of  the 

xad   the    general     introduc- 

'-'  mesticated   reindeer  herds 

:  AIa.~ka.  the  \ast  unknown 

nr  northern  province  can 

':,!ily    explored.      Lines    of 

atron  between  di.stant  .settle- 

".   he  kept  open  during  the 

'  ;r    months  and    the    frigid, 

.    n<-jw  comparatively   useless 

-'.-.xt  little  known  region  will 

-<mrce  of  wealth   and  pros- 

"Iie  land. 

-'"'mate  necessity  of  the  V.  S. 

-  -.r,      either     to     feed      the 

r.  >vide    some  means  by 

;:i    feed  themselves,  has 

'•jtttn  growing  more  apparent. 

jii.'ir.  there  was  a  large  popula- 

.'jii.-t    F'.skimos,    whose    food 

;  ;nvc(l   from  the  jmrsuit 

■jj     walrus  and    hair  seal. 

-■    Harrow,   in    1S28,   Captain 

'■;un<I     Nuwuk     a     village 

'       people;     in      1S63,     ".here 

Crf^   while    now    there    are    not 


2-<* 


SSSSKLm 


260 


Z5SS!!S~9^^ffiBlEH 


ALASKA    AND    THH    I^HINDEER. 


f 


Rev.  SlielJitn  Jackson,  U.  S.  General  Ajjent  of  EJucation  for  Alaska 


more  than  100.  In  1S26,  Captain 
Beechey  found  a  larj^e  poj)nlati()n  at 
Cape  Franklyn  ;  to-day  it  is  witiiout 
an  inhabitant.  The  same  authority 
states  that  at  vSchismareff  Inlet  there 
was  a  village  having  a  population,  iti 
1826,  of  from  i,5<TO  to  2,000.  It  has 
now  but  three  hou.ses,  and  the  total 
population  does  not  exceed  twenty- 
five.  At  the  beginning  of  the  cen- 
turj-,  the  population  of  Point  Hoj^e 
was  nearl)'  2,000  ;  now  it  is  less  than 
350.  Mr.  John  \V.  Kelly,  who  has 
written  a  monograph  on  Alaska,  says  : 
"The  Kavea  country  is  almost 
depopulated,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of 
game,  which  ha.s  been  killed  or  driven 
away.  *  ■^-  *  The  coast  tribes 
between  Point  Hope  and  Point  Bar- 
row have  been  cut  down  in  population 
so  as  to  be  almost  obliterated.  The 
Kook-pov-a-ros  of  Point  Lay  have 
only  three  huts  Irft,  the  Oo-Loo-kas  of 
Icy   Cape   one   hut,   the  Koogamutes 


have  only  three  settlements 
of  from  one  to  four  families, 
and  Sezei.'i.  whose  'people 
were  '  once  as  countless  as 
the  grains  of  sand,"  cannot 
master  a  hundred  inhabi 
tants. "  Finally,  in  all  Alas- 
ka, there  are  probably 
to-day  not  more  than  25.00^1 
Jvskimos. 

The  extermination  o  f 
these  people  has  been 
largely  effected  by  the  ad- 
vent of  whalers  into  the 
Arctic  Ocean.  Fifty  years 
ago,  the  great  whaling 
fleets,  then  numbering  more 
than  five  hundred  sail,  hav- 
ing nearlv  exhauste<l  the 
snp])ly  in  the  Atlantic  and 
South  Pacific  Oceans,  foiuid 
their  way  further  and  fur- 
ther north,  destroying  the 
whales  by  hundreds  and 
thousands  annually,  until 
they  were  driven  for  refuge 
out  of  the  P.icific  into  the 
Arctic  Ocean,  and  thither 
the  whalers  followed.  In 
this  relentless  hunt  the 
renuiants  of  the  once  innumerable 
schools  of  whales  have  Ix-en  driven 
still  further  into  the  inaccessible  region 
anmnd  Die  North  Pole,  and  are  no 
longer  within  the  reach  of  the  natives. 
As  it  was  with  the  whale,  so  it  has 
become  with  the  walrus,  which  fur- 
nished not  only  food,  but  material  for 
the  construction  of  boats  and  houses 
for  the  natives.     The  work  of  killing 


Native  Pipe. 

the  animals  for  their  tu.sks  alone  has 
been  prosecuted  with  such  vigor,  dur- 
ing the  last  quarter  century  by  the 
whaling  fleet,  that  the  walrus,  as  a  food 
supply,  is  already  practically  extinct. 

In  the  past  the  natives  of  the  inte- 
rior living  along  the  banks  of  the  many 


.sclj 
coij 
waJ 


I 


ALASKA    AND    THK    REINDi-IiR. 


2f)  I 


rivers  flowing  into  Bering  Sea  and  the 
Arctic  Ocean,  caught  and  cured  for 
use  during  the  long  winter  months, 
quantities  of  fish.  But  American  can- 
neries have  already  I)een  located  on 
many  of  the  streams,  and  both  carry 
food  out  of  the  country,  and  by  their 
wasteful  methods  destroy  the  future 
supply.  Five  :nillion  cans  of  .salmon 
annually  are  packed  and  exported 
fnmi  Alaska,  and  the  bu.sine.ss  still  in 
its  infancy,  means  starvation  for  the 
natives  who  dejiend  on  this  .source  of 
food. 

The  condition  of  the  natives  on  the 
Siberian  side  ot  Bering  Straits,  sub- 
ject to  the  .same  climatic  conditions 
and  with  almost  identical  environment, 
is  .so  nuich  better  than  that  of  the 
Alaskan  Eskimos  that  it  is  apj)arent 
to  the  most  casual  observer.  When 
the  Rev.  vSheldon  Jackson,  General 
Agent  of  Education  in  Aia.ska,  visited 
the  ccmntry  in  1890  for  the  ])urj)ose  of 
locating     suital)le     sites     for    native 


ing  ascertained  the  cau.se  of  distress 
amcmg  the  Ivskimos  he  .set  about  with 
characteristic  energy  to  devi.se  a  rem- 
edy. 

In  the  Arctic  and  sub- Arctic  regions 
of  La])land  and  .Siberia  the  domesti- 
cated reindeer  is  food,  clothing,  hou.se, 
furniture  and  tran.sportation  to  the 
l)e()ple.  Its  milk  and  fle.sh  furnish 
food,  its  marrow  and  tongue  are  con- 
sidered choice  delicacies,  and  its  blood 
mixed  with  the  contents  of  the  stom- 
ach is  made  into  a  favorite  dish  called 
in  Siberia,  luanyalla.  Its  intestines 
are  cleaned,  filled  with  tallow  and 
eaten  as  a  sausage.  Its  .skin  is  made 
into  clothes,  bedding,  tent  covers, 
harness,  ropes,  cords  and  fi.sh  lines, 
and  the  hard  .skin  of  the  fore-legs 
makes  an  excellent  covering  for  snow- 
shoes.  Its  .sinews  are  dried  and 
])()unded  into  .strong  and  lasting 
thread.  Its  bones  are  soaked  in  seal 
oil  and  u.sed  as  fuel,  and  its  horns  are 
made  into  various  kinds  of  household 


.  ( 

^                ...         -H 

^Siklii. 

A^l_i^      JL 

.^^    rdk     ., 

1 

. ..  t^^r— 

J-"'''*^-'i:f^'^*"-'*''^^"--^  ^- 

BK^-'ii^ffi^^ 

m 

Utiiau       ' 

¥ 

«t'> 

m^ 

1" 

'i#S(,' Virr''*«¥^-?^^1  -i^ ;  -Axi 

,;i'.-:>.    -■ 

.^*« 

■uirn^Biinii 

HorJ  of  Domesticated  HeinJeer,  and  Temporary  Villase  of  Siberian  Deermen. 

.schools,  he  did  not  fail  to  observe  and  implement,  and  weapons,  a  u.sed  in 
comment  on  this  difference.  "What  the  manufacture  of  sleds.  I  Central 
was  the  reason  ?  "  he  asked  ;  and  hav-      and  Northern  Alaska  are  va.st  rolling 


an 


f ' 


I  ■ 


262 


ALASKA    AND    THK    RHINDbBR. 


r 

i 

ikA 

li 

t#ii^iJ^ 

pi 

^ 

1   ■..  ^.r, 

"  ,  .-^f.-ih^  - 

!""  ^ .  ¥^ 

'*■■» 

^:  •'•*'•-■-  •      ^ 

f^  ' 

.ttk,*"-'       ■ 

^ 

.**». 

%& 

^ag^^^miffmi 

*'•'    ■' '  * . 

Bill5»ri^SJS3 

^^•li& 

#>           .-i^^i^. 

TiMnporary  VilLiyt'  "f  SilHTi.in  DetrmiTi,  N(irlliwe>t  Oi.ist  of  Siberi.i. 


plains  of  moss-  and  grass-covered  laud 
that  are  especially  adapted  hy  nature 
for  the  grazing  of  reindeer,  and  are 
practically  useless  for  any  other  pur- 
pose. In  the  corresponding  regions 
of  Lapland,  Arctic  Norway,  vSweden 
and  Russia  are  27,000  people  (about 
the  same  in  number  as  the  Alaskan 
Eskimos^  supporting  themselves  and 
procuring   their    food     and    clothing 


I'rijf.  Cliarit!,  H.  TownsunJ.  Naturalist.    L'.  S.  I'ish 
Coininlssion. 


largely  from  their  400, 000 domesticated 
reindeer,  besides  paying  to  their 
resp2ctive  Governments  the  annual 
sum  of  $400,000,  or  $1  per  head,  as  a 


tax  on  their  lierds.-''  Also  in  the  cor- 
responding region  of  vSiberia,  with 
similar  climate  and  .soil  and  only  forty 
miles  distant  at  the  straits,  there  are 
thousands  of  Tchukchees,  Koraksand 
other  tribes  of  deermen  fed  and  clothed 
and  housed  by  their  herds  of  tens  of 
thou.sands  of  domesticated  reindeer. 

With  a  knowledge  of  these  facts, 
Dr.  Jackson  asked  Captain  llealy,  the 
connnander  of  the  Ihar,  who  has  been 
for  a  nund)er  of  years  on  the  Arctic 
vStation  of  the  Revenue  Cutter  vService, 
if  it  would  not  be  a  practical  solution 
of  tile  Ivskimo  food  problem  to  pur- 
chase herds  of  reindeer  from  the 
Siberians,  trans])ort  them  across  the 
straits,  and,  under  certain  restrictions, 
introduce  llie  .system  of  herding 
them  in  Alaska  for  the  benefit  of  the 
natives.  Captain  Healy's  an.swer  to 
this  (|Uery  was  that  he  not  only  con- 
sidered the  project  perfectly  feasible, 
but  that  he  knew  of  no  better  one  for 
the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of 
the  J'lskimos  and  the  ultimate  devel- 
opment of  the  country.  He  had 
recommended  the  niea.sure  in  .several 
of  his  re])orts  to  the  Treasury  De- 
partment at  Washington,  and  in  fact, 
Prof.  Charles  H.  Town.send,  the  well- 
known  naturali.st  of  the  United  States 
Fish  Connnission,  had  accompanied 
an  expedition  .sent  out  from  the 
revenue  cutter  Corwiii  in  the  year 
I S.Ss  for  the  exploration  of  a   part   of 

•I'aiil    1)11    Ch.-iillti.     I„iii(l    of  tlic  MidiiiKht   Sim. 
Vol.  2,  pp.  167-ihs. 


f 


tht 
tht 


to 

ag; 
to 


aiK 
Al.- 

*R 
Conv 
ernii: 


ALASKA    ANI)    TIIK    KfKINDKKk. 


263 


NorlliLTii  Alaska,  under  llit-  command 
of  Lieutenant  J.  C.  Caiitwell.  He  had 
examined  the  subject  very  carefully, 
and  was  the  first  person  ever  to  suj;- 
gest  the  scheme.  Prof.  Townsend's 
plan*  met  with  the  full  approval  and 
endorsement  of  Captain  Healy,  at  that 
time  in  conunand  of  the  CorTc/'/i,  and 
was  submitted  U)  the  authorities  in 
Wasliington.  l»ut  Alaska  is  a  hm^ 
di.stance  from  headcpiarters  and  go\- 
erinnents  move  slowly.  The  duties  of 
the  revenue  cutters  in  the  Arctic  were 
already  ,so  nudtifarious  and  exactinj;^ 
that  the  Chief  of  that  .service  couul 
not  .see  his  way  clear  to  a  successful 
handling;  of  so  comprehensive  a  scheme, 
and  the  matter  was  left  to  ja^row  musty 
with  age  in  the  safe  .seclusion  of  a 
governmental  pigeon-hole. 

When  Dr.  Jackson  finished  his 
duties  in  the  Arctic  and  returned  to 
Washington,  one  of  his  first  acts  wa.s 
to  place  the  matter  of  intro- 
ducing reindeer  into  Alaska 
before  Congress,  in  the  form 
of  a  bill  for  aid  from  the  Na- 
tional Government.  In  the 
course  of  the  investigation  of 
the  .subject  which  followed, 
the  project  .seemed  almost 
doomed  to  defeat  and  failure 
on  account  of  the  objections 
and  adverse  criticisms  with 
which  it  was  greeted  from  a 
score  of  sources.  Some  of  the 
people  who  did  all  they  could 
to  influence  public  opinion 
against  the  measure,  had  oidy 
to  e.xpress  their  views  in  print 
in  order  to  show  their  entire 
ignorance  of  the  subject.  But 
when  George  Ketnian,  the 
famou.i  Siberian  traveler,  as- 
serted that  the  natives  on  one 
side  of  the  straits  would  never 
be  induced  to  sell  live  reindeer 
to  foreigners  on  account  of 
their  deep-rooted  supcrst  tions, 
and  when  Ivan  Pctroff,  the 
Alaskan   census-taker,    declared   with 


equal  force  that  the  Ivskimo  would 
never  give  up  his  roving  hunter's 
life  to  become  a  mere  herdsman, 
and  further  that  liie  reindeer  it  intro- 
duced would  be  speedily  worried  to 
death  and  the  herds  destroyed  by 
native  dogs,  the  Conunittee  of  Con- 
gressmen liaving  the  bill  in  charge 
were  disheartened,  and,  although  it 
])asse<l  the  Senate  without  opposition, 
it  died  without  action  in  the  Lower 
House.  Meanwhile  the  friends  and 
believers  in  the  scheme  did  not  despair. 
Finiling  that  Congress  was  not  dis- 
po.sed  to  act  jiromptly  in  the  matter, 
an  appeal  for  aid  was  made  to  the 
])hilanthropic  pul)lic  through  the 
medium  of  the  press  of  tiie  ICa.stern 
and  Middle  States.  Among  the  papers 
which  took  the  matter  up,  the  New 
York  Mail  and  Express,  Boston  Tran- 
script, Philadelphia  Ledger,  Chicago 
Inter-Ocean     and    Washington    .Star 


•  Rciwrt  of  the  Cruise  of  the  Revenue  Cutter 
CoKivin  in  the  Arctic  Oce.tu,  p.  KS  United  St.ites  <",ov- 
emment  I'dntinn  ofTicc,  Washington,  iS.'fs. 


Ran-en-l<a.  v     ^^^" 

[From  a  plioto.  liv  Ur.  S.  '.  Call.]      >t  -  ^ ,  ^^^~-- 


h 


264 


ALASKA    AND    THK    RtlNDKKW. 


were  prominent,  and  !)}• 
their  efforts  the  sum  of  two 
tliousand  dollars  was  raised 
ill  the  course  of  a  few  weeks 
trom  private  subscriptions 
for  the  purpose  of  starting 
the  work.  From  the  heads 
of  departments  in  Washing- 
ton came  substantial  aid  and 
encouragement.  The  Sec- 
retary of  vState  obtained 
official  leave  from  the  Rus- 
sian Minister  for  Dr.  Jack- 
son to  visit  any  part  of 
N.  W.  Siberia  for  the  jnir- 
po.se  of  purchasing  reindeer 
from  the  natives,  and  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
furnished  transportation  to 
the  far-away  land  on  the 
revenue  cutter  Bear,  and 
issued  instructions  to  Cap- 
tain Healy  to  render  all 
possible  aid  to  Dr.  Jackson 
which  would  not  interfere 
wiJi  the  regular  duties  of 
the  vessel.  Ivarly  in  the 
spring  of  1891  the  litiir  left 
San  Franci.sco,  having  on 
board  1  supply  of  trade 
goods,  consisting  of  axes, 
hatchets,  knives,  steel  traps,  cotton 
cloth,  beads,  tobacco,  flour,  molasses, 
powder,  lead  and  caps,  and  a  few  breech- 
loading  fire-arms  for  the  purpose  of 
barter  with  the  Tchuckchee  deermen. 
It  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  the 
mingled  feelings  of  hope  and  fear 
with  which  the  friends  of  tliis  new 
form  of  charity  waved  a  last  good- 
bye to  the  /h'ar  as  she  pas.sed  out 
through  the  Oolden  Gate  and  once 
more  turned  her  prow  northward 
toward  the  Frozen  Ocean.  It  was  not 
until  nearh'  three  months  later  that 
the  /har,  after  weeks  of  battling 
with  the  ice,  succeeded  in  approaching 
close  enough  to  the  Siberian  .shore  to 
communicate  with  the  natives.  A 
parly  (if  deermen  were  found  en- 
camped during  the  month  of  August 
on  the  shores  of  Chaun  Hay  with  a 
herd  of  a  thousand  reindeer  quietly 
grazing    near    a    temporary    village. 


Capt.  M.  A.  Htalv.  U.  S.  R.  M.,  CommanJinK  U.  S.  Revenue  Cutter 
■•  Bear." 


The    time   for    negotiations    had    ar- 
rived. 

With  the  i)erfect  knowledge  of  the 
peculiar  dispositions  of  these  people, 
which  Captain  Healy  has  acquired  by 
long  years  of  study  and  close  observa- 
tion, it  is  not  strange  that  he  should 
now  take  the  utmost  precautions  to 
prevent  the  natives  from  breaking 
their  promi.se  made  to  him  a  year 
before,  to  sell  Dr.  Jack.scm  a  few 
live  reindeer  to  be  taken  to  Alaska 
slumld  he  again  visit  the  country. 
The  natives  were  invited  on  board  the 
ship,  and  allowed  to  trade  their  furs 
as  is  customary  with  vir.iting  ships, 
and  then  a  party  of  the  officers  visited 
the  shore  to  partake  of  the  native  hos- 
pitality. It  having  been  decided  to 
kill  a  reindeer  to  furni.sh  a  feast  for 
the  visitors,  one  was  selected  from 
the  herd  and  caught  by  throwing  a 
las.so   over  its   horns.      It  was  then 


■n^ 


ALASKA   AND    THE    REINDEER. 


265 


quietly  led  off  to  some  distance  from  the 
rest  of  the  animals  and  preparations  for 
slaughtering  it  were  made  as  follows  : 
The  family  of  the  owner  of  the  animal 
seated  tiiemselves  in  a  circle  around 
the  deer,  and  while  one  young  man 
held  it  securely  by  the  horns  another 
stood  near  by  armed  with  a  large 
knife  ready  to  give  the  fatal  blow 
when  the  proper  time  had  arrived. 
The  head  of  the  family,  a  patriarchal- 
looking  old  man,  now  advanced,  and 
bowing  profoundly  toward  the  East, 
began  a  sort  of  incantation  or  prayer. 
This  was  repeated  three  times,  and  at 
the  final  ending  the  native  executioner 
plunged  his  knife  into  the  heart  of  the 
reindeer,  and  it  sank  down  on  the 
ground  almost  without  a  struggle. 
The  old  man  now  advanced  and  pluck- 
ing out  some  of  the  hair  of  the  dying 
deer,  he  moi.stened  it  with  its  blood 
and  blew  it  toward  the  four  points  of 
the  compass.  The  ceremony  was 
brought  to  an  end  by  a  repetition  of 
the  prayer  uttered,  with  the  face 
turned  toward  the  East.  All  the  first 
day  of  the  Beat's  A'isit  was  spent  in 
feasting.  Captain  Healy  provided  un- 
limited quantities  of  the  ship's  "  hard 
bread  "  of  which  the  natives  are  very 
fond,  and  by  a  judicious  distribution 
of  small  presents  put  everj'body 
in  good  humor.  Ofcour.se  the  natives 
knew  perfectly  well  that  the  special 
object  of  the  Bear's  visit  to  this  partic- 
ular point  was  to  obtain  reindeer  alive 
for  tran.sportation  to  Ala.ska,  and 
sooner  or  later  the  subject  would  be 
discussed.  But  as  undue  haste  would 
undoubtedly  have  rendered  the  natives 
suspicious  and  intractable,  Captaiii 
Healy  made  no  mention  of  his  desires 
until  the  next  day.  The  principal 
men  of  the  village  were  then  called 
together  by  Captain  Healy,  who  told 
them  that  the  Bear  would  sail  away 
the  next  day,  but  before  going  Dr. 
Jackson  wished  to  buy  a  few  live 
reindeer  to  take  with  him  to  Alaska. 
He  argued  to  the  natives  that  they 
had  more  deer  than  they  could  possi- 
bly u.se,  while  each  year  the  herds  grew 
larger  and  had  to  be  driven  further  for 
Vol.  Ill— 18 


pasture  ;  that  there  was  plenty  of  good 
pasture  in  Alaska,  and  the  deer  would 
be  well  cared  fur,  and  furthermore,  that 
as  nuich  would  be  given  for  one  live 
reindeer  as  could  be  obtained  for 
twenty  of  their  skins.  Why  not  sell 
Dr.  Jackson  a  few  while  he  was  here, 
and  ready  to  give  such  good  prices  for 
them  ?  To  the.se  words  of  Captain 
Healy,  which  were  translated  to  the 
Siberians,  Ran-en-ka,  a  gray-haired 
and  shrewd  old  deerman,  after  a  long 
debate  with  his  comrades,  replied  that 
he  had  listened  to  Captain  Healy  and 
his  words  w^re  true.  What  he  said 
was  good,  and  the  natives  all  believed 
him  and  trusted  him  because  he  had 
always  done  as  he  had  promised  to  do 
with  them.  Had  he  not  brought  pres- 
ents of  guns  and  flour  to  the  Siberians 
who  found  the  lost  sailor  from  the 
whale  ship  and  kept  him  for  two  years? 
And  did  he  not  also  bring  plenty  of 
presents  of  guns,  knives,  hatchets, 
flour  and  tobacco  to  the  Tchukchees 
at  St.  Lawrence  Bay  who  fed  the 
.sailors  when  their  ship  was  burned  ?  * 
Furthermore,  had  not  Captain  Healy 's 
doctor  cau.sed  the  pain  in  Ran-en-ka's 
shoulder  to  go  when  the  Shaman 
(native  doctor)  had  tried  and  failed  ? 
Last  year,  he,  Ran-en-ka  had  promised 
Captain  Healy  to  let  him  take  away 
.some  reindeer  alive,  and  now  he  would 
not  run  away.  There  among  the 
herd  on  shore  he  owned  a  hundred. 
Let  Captain  Healy  and  Dr.  Jackson 
choose  which  ones  they  wanted,  and 
Ran-en-ka's  young  men  would  bring 
them  down  and  put 
them  into  the  boat. 
Ran-en-ka  h  a  d 
hardly  ceased 
speaking  w  h  e  n 
Katie-cha,  another 
influential  native, 
arose  and  said  he 
had  fifty  reindeer. 
Let  Captain  Healy 
take  his  choice. 
Others    would     have 


Native  Boots. 


followed    the 


•  U.  S.  steamer  Koiigets  burnert  at  St .  Lawrence 
Hay  in  1882.  Officers  and  crew  cared  for  by  natives 
until  resetted. 


iiir 


266 


AUSKA    AND    THE    REINDEER. 


J    5 


example  of  these  two  liad  it  been 
desirable  to  purchase  any  more  rein- 
deer at  this  place,  but  both  Dr.  Jack- 
son and  Captain  Hcaly  thought  it 
more  advisable  to  visit  other  parts  of 
the  coast  atid  purcha.se  a  small  number 
of  the  animals  at  different  .settlements 
with  a  view  of  creating  among  the 
deermen  a  general  desire  to  engage  in 
the  traffic.  After  the  first  lot  of  deer 
had  been  .safely  taken  on  board  the 
Bear,  not  the  slightest  difficulty  was 
experienced  in  purchasing  the  animals 
at  any  of  the  settlements  visited.  It 
was  not  the  intention  of  Dr.  Jackson, 
however,  to  transport  a  large  number 
of  reindeer  to  Ala.ska  the  first  year,  as 
there  were  still  many  points  to  be  con- 
sidered, and  the  manner  of  handling 
the  matter  was  still  in  its  experimental 
stage.  Among  the  reasons  advanced 
by  some  of  the  would-be  experts  in  rein- 
deer propagation  as  to  why  the  animals 
could  never  be  successfully  trans- 
planted into  Alaska,  were  the  .state- 
ments often  repeated  that  the  reindeer 
would  not  eat  food  that  was  not  fresh, 
or  had  been  handled,  and  that  they 
could  not,  for  this  rea.son  and  for  oth- 
ers too  numerous  to  mention,  endure 
a  sea  voyage,  and  finally  that  the  char- 
acter of  the  mossy  plains  of  Siberia 
was  entirely  different  from  that  in 
Alaska,  in  consequence  of  which  the 
transported  animals  would  starve.  In 
order  to  test  the  correctness  of  these 
surmises  and  opinions  it  was  decided 
to  bring  only  a  very  few  reindeer  over 
the  first  year,  and  to  subject  these  to  the 
hardest  conditions  for  existence  that 
they  would  probably  ever  have  to  en- 
dure in  Ala.ska.  In  accordance  with 
this  idea  a  band  of  sixteen  reindeer  were 
purchased  and  tran.sported  in  the  rev- 
enue cutter  Bear,  from  Siberia  to  the 
Aleutian  Islands,  necessitating  a 
journey  by  sea  of  fully  a  thou.sand 
miles.  They  were  safely  landed  on 
Unalaska  Island,  and  turned  loo.se  to 
shift  for  themselves  near  a  native  vil- 
lage where  there  were  a  half  hundred 
idle  dogs,  left  entirely  to  their  own 
devices  and  presumably  with  no  scru- 
ples about  worrying  or  killing  deer. 


When  the  deer  w»re  landed  from  the 
ship  they  were  in  excellent  condition, 
and  although  left  absolutely  unattended 
and  unprovided  for  over  a  year,  every- 
one of  the  litlle  band  wintered  .success- 
fully, and  when  seen  by  the  writer  in 
the  niunth  nf  August,  1892,  they 
were  in  supcrl)  condition.  While  hunt- 
ing on  a  .small  island  in  Captain's 
Bay,  a  harbor  of  Unalaska  Lslaiid, 
the  writer,  accompanied  by  Captain 
A.  M.  Brown,  U.  vS.  A.,  saw  nine 
of  the  reindeer  ([uietly  feeding  in  a  lit- 
tle glade  not  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
the  native  village  of  Illiliuk.  They 
were  very  tame,  and  allowed  us  to  ap- 
proach them,  and  even  stroke  their 
sleek  sides  without  tlie  slightest  evi- 
dence of  uneasiness. 

When  the  Bear  reached  Unalaska 
early  in  June  last,  on  her  way  North, 
Dr.  J  ckson,  who  was  again  a  passen- 
ger '  .  board,  was  rejoiced  to  find  the 
reindeer  at  this  place  in  such  good 
condition,  and  it  was  with  greatly 
increased  feel  ngs  of  confidence  and 
encouragement  that  the  second  sea 
son's  work  among  the  Tchukchees 
and  liskimos  of  tlie  far  North  was 
taken  up.  The  space  allotted  for  this 
article  will  not  permit  of  a  detailed 
description  of  this  year's  work  in  pur- 
cha-sing  the  reindeer  required  to  start 
an  experiirental  station  on  American 
soil.  I.,et  it  suffice  to  .say  that  the 
northwest  coast  of  .Siberia  was  again 
visited  by  the  Bear,  and  everywhere 
the  vessel  touched  she  was  warmly 
welcomed.  Reindeer  were  offered  for 
sale  witlumt  re.sers'e  by  the  Tchnk 
chees,  now  eager  to  engage  in  tlic 
trade.  The  news  of  the  sale  of  tlie 
small  band  of  deer  the  previous  se.-i 
son  had  spread  with  astonishing  quick 
ne.ss  over  the  country,  and  seeing  that 
no  harm  befell  their  fellow-herds 
men  who  first  sold  deer,  the  nativt> 
were  all  anxious  to  sell.  The  prici 
of  reindeer  fell  mu'er  the  influence  of 
competition  from  $10.00  to  as  low  as 
$4.25,  each  in  a  single  season,  and  had 
it  been  desirable  to  purcha.se  all  tli:U 
were  offered  thousands  could  ha\i 
been  obtained  at  an  average  cost  m 


n 


ALASKA    AND   THE    REINDEER. 


267 


V  -   -•'•v. 


$4.  As  it  was,  the  lime  which  the  Bear  might  devote  to  this  special  work  was 
limited,  and  Dr.  Jackson  was  compelled  to  be  .satisfied  with  the  i)urclia.se  of  185 
choice  animals.  Of  this  nnmbcr,  180  were  safely  landed  at  I'orl  Clarence,  just 
south  of  Bering  Strait,  and  three  were  placed  on  vSt.  Taul  Ishiiul,  one  of  the 
Pribylof  group,  to  ascertain  tlie  possibility  of  the  animals  living  and  l)rceding 
there.  The  two  remaining  animals  were  killed  to  furnish  a  supply  of  fresh 
; ,;,-  meat,  which  at  the  present  time  cainiot  beootained  by  ships  any- 
«,,V-'     where  in  this  part  of  Alaska. 

The    history   of  this  great     iliilanthropic  and 

economic  measure  would  no'  be  complete  without 

,  ,  '.ome     alhisioi;     U)    the 

.nanner  in  \vliich  it  is 
propo  '/'I  In  put  the  rein- 
deer .'.'o  tlie  pos.se.ssion 
Ci  ihc-  iCskimos. 

To  one  who  is 
anitiaintcd  with 
the  roving,  improv- 
ident   nature    ot 


these  people,  it  would  .seem  at 
first  glance  inipo.s.sible  that  they 
could  be  brought  to  a  realizing  .sense  of 
the  important  bearing  the  introduction  of 
reindeer  in  their  midst  would,  have  upon 
their  lives,  and  the  necessity  of  guarding 
the  valuable  herds  from  destruction.  It  is 
more  than  likely  that  unless  .some  system 
of  protection  was  introduced  along  nith 
the  deer,  they  would  .soon  fall  victims 
either  to  the  rapacity  of  roving  luini.ing 
parties,  or  become  .scattered  and  destroyed 
by  dogs  or  wild  animals.  Dr.  Jackson's  long  experience  as  a  missionary  among 
the  Indians  stoou  him  in  good  .stead  at  this  juncture.  He  .saw  the  necessity  of 
making  individual  natives  more  or  less  responsible  for  the  deer  left  in  their 
vicinity,  and  with  that  end  in  view  a  scheme  was  evolved  which,  so  far  as 
human  judgment  can  foresee,  promises  to  be  successful  in  all  its  features. 


[From 


A  Siberian   Deerman. 
I  pliotoKraph  by  Dr.  S.  J.  Call  ] 


268 


ALASliA    AND    THE    REINDEER. 


On  the  north  shore  of  Port  Clarence, 
a  spacious  harbor  about  seventy-five 
miles  south  of  Bering  Straits,  a  com- 
fortable house  was  erected  last  sum 
raer  and  furnished  with  all  necessary 
supplies  to  maintain  its  occupants  for 
one  year.     At  this  station  Mr.   Minor 
W.  Bruce,  a  gentleman  who  has  had 
considerable       experience 
among   our    western    In- 
dians, accompanied  by  an- 
(  'her  white  man,  has  been 
left  in  charge.     With  Mr. 
Bruce  are    four    Siberian 
deermen.  who,  at  the  .solic- 
itation of  Captain  Healy, 
were  induced  to  leave  their 
homes  on   the  western  .side    of   the 
straits  and  give  their  services  to  the 
station  for   one   year.    The  herd   of 
reindeer  will  be  under  the  care  of  the 
vSiberians  and    native  Eskimos  who 
will    be    selected    from    among    the 
brightest    and   most  reliable  natives 
living  near  the  station.     The  herders 
are    divided    into   first    and    second 
classes.     The  herders  of  the  first-class 
are  the  four  Siberians  whose  business 
it  will  be  to  teach  the  Eskimos  the 
proper  manner  of  herding  and  caring 
for  the  animals,  and  they  will  receive 
in  payment  for  their  services  fift>"  dol- 
lars   per  annum   each,   with    board, 
shelter  and   a  sufficient  quantity   of 
native    clothing    free.     The  second- 
class  herders,  twelve  in 
number,  will  be  under 
the  in.strnction  of  the 
Siberians  while  on  duty 
with  the  herd,  and  will 
receive  in    pay  m  e  n 
their  board,    food  and 
clothing  as  long  as  they 
remain  in  the  employ 
of  the  Service.     Each 
of  the  first-class   Sibe- 
rian herders  will  have 
under    his    immediate 
charge  and  instruction,   at  all  times, 
three  of  the  native  Eskimos,  the  sec- 
ond-clafe.5  herders,      The  watches  are 
so  arranged  that  the  herd  will  never 
be  left  unattended  by  less  than  four 
men.    In  case  of  sickness  of  either  of 


the  Siberians,  his  place  will  be  tem- 
porarily filled  by  a  rearrangement  of 
the  hours  of  watch,  each  of  the  other 
Siberians  taking  his  proportionate 
share  of  the  work  until  their  comrade 
returns  to  duty.  Mr.  Bruce  is  empow- 
ered to  employ  additional  native  help 
if  it  is  necessary,  and  to  discharge  any 


Native  Deer-skin 
Clothinp;. 


Alaskan  SleJ. 

one  found  lacking  in  interest,  insub- 
ordinate or  otherwise  unfitted  for  the 
work,  but  he  is  especially  charged  to 
act  in  all  cases  of  needed  discipline 
with  the  utmost  leniency  consistent 
with  a  firm  administration  of  iustice. 
Dr.  Jackson  concludes  his  in.structions 
to  the  superintendent  of  the  station 
in  these  words : 

' '  The  Siberians  being  away  from 
their  homes  and  friends  among  a 
strange,  and  at  times,  jealous  and  sus- 
picious people,  need  your  especial  care 
and  protection.  Take  pains  to  make 
them  feel  that  you  have  a  fatherly 
interest  in  their  welfare.  I  hope  their 
treatment  will  be  .such  that  they  will 
choo.se  to  remain  permanently  in  our 
service." 

The  course  of  instruction  of  native 
Eskimos  is  at  present  designed  to  con- 
tinue two  years.  If  at  the  end  of  that 
time  they  have  proved  diligent  and 
capable,  each  of  them  will  be  given  a 
herd  of  ten  reindeer  as  a  .start  in  life. 
Tlie  natives  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sta- 
tion have  been  warned,  and  have  prom 
ised  to  keep  their  dogs  away  from  the 
deer  herds  ;  and  while  no  difficulty  is 
expected  in  this  quarter,  it  is  perfectly 
understood,  on  both  sides,  that  any 
strange  dogs  found  molesting  the  dec 
will  he  shot  down,  and  the  owner  will 
be  suitably  remunerated  for  his  loss. 
Contrary  to  the  generally  expres.sed 
opinion,  the  Eiikimos  hail  with  delight 
the  introduction  of  the  reindeer,  and 


ALASKA    AND    THE    REINDEER. 


269 


without  exception  are  only  awaiting 
the  time  when  reindeer  will  be  plenti- 
ful enough  in  Alaska,  to  kill  their  dogs 
and  substitute  the  deer  as  a  means  of 
transportation.  Many  of  the  natives 
have  begged  to  be  supplied  with  small 
bands  of  imported  reindeer  which  they 
will  herd  themselves.  But  as  one  or 
two  failures  of  such  private  enterprises 
would  doubtless  cause  the  Eskimos  to 
lose  faith  in  the  work  of  the  .station,  it 
has  been  decided  to  delay  any  more 
general  introduction  ot  the  animals 
until     the   knowledge  of  the   proper 


quarters  are  located  in  the  center  of 
the  mining  district  of  central  Alaska. 
We  have  now  .seen  how  and  why  the 
domesticated  reindeer  were  purchased, 
where  they  have  been  landed  in  Alaska 
and  where  the  next  station  will  most 
likely  be  established.  Now  let  us 
briefly  glance  at  the  country  into 
which  it  is  propo.sed  to  introduce  this 
new  factor  of  existence,  which  is  des- 
tined to  have  an  influence  in  its  devel- 
opment, utterly  beyond  the  compre- 
hension of  the  public  of  the  United 
States,  whose  knowledge  of  Alaska  is 


3ur 


' **Sii,£t 


Siberian  Deermen  Brought  to  Alasl<a  with  the  First  Herd. 
[From  a  photcgraph  by  Dr.  S.  J.  Call.] 


manner  of  caring  for  them  has  become 
widely  dis.seniinated  in  the  regular 
manner. 

If  the  work  of  the  Port  Clarence 
station  pro.spers,  other  .stations  will  be 
built  next  ytar  at  points  along  the 
coast  to  be  hereafter  determined.  Gov- 
ernment schools  are  already  estab- 
lished and  in  (,'peration  at  Cape  Prince 
of  Wales,  Point  Hope  and  Point  Bar- 
row in  Arctic  Alaska  ;  and  it  is  more 
than  likely  that  in  order  to  avoid 
unnecessary  expense  for  new  buildings 
the  next  herds  will  be  located  at  these 
points.  A  small  herd  will  also  be 
brought  over  and  sent  up  the  Yukon 
River  next  .sea.son  for  use  of  the  em- 
ployees of  the  Northwest  Trading  and 
Transportation  Company,  whose  head- 


confined  to  that  comparatively  small 
area  covered  by  tourist  routes,  and 
chiefly  remarkable  for  its  scenic  won- 
ders. 

Alaska,  as  generally  known  to  the 
reading  public,  is  comprised  in  a  nar- 
row strip  of  territory  lying  north  of 
Vancouver  Island  and  west  of  British 
Columbia  ;  a  region  of  glacier-girt 
shores  and  tim1)ered  forests,  of  inac- 
ce.ssible  snow-clad  peaks  and  rich 
stores  of  mineral  wealth — a  land  of 
perpetual  interest — but  by  comparison 
with  that  Greater  Alaska  of  which  we 
write  it  bears  about  the  same  relation 
in  point  of  .si/e  and  importance  as 
Florida  does  to  ,  the  whole  United 
States.  The  natives  of  southeast 
Alaska  are  not  Eskimos,  but  belong 


I; 


KJi 


\i 


370 


ALASKA    AND    THE    REINDEER. 


Ko-har-ra.  the  Richest  Native  in  N.  E.  Siberia. 
[From  a  photograph  by  Dr.  S.  J.  Call.] 

to  a  distinct  race  descended  in  all  prob- 
ability from  the  Southern  aborigines. 
Their  condition  in  life  is  not  especially 
hard,  nor  will  they  ever  suffer  for  the 
simple  necessities  of  life.  The  sea 
adjacent  to  their  homes,  tempered  by 
the  warm  Japan  current,  is  free  from 
ice  all  the  year  and  furnishes  them  an 
abundance  of  fi.sli.  The  forests  .sup- 
ply them  with  material  for  the  con- 
struction of  houses  and  lx>ats  and  for 
fuel,  and  it  abounds  with  game.  Sur- 
rounded by  a  rapidly  increasing  white 
population,  many  of  the  natives  find 
ready  employment  at  remunerative 
wages,  and  the  summer  tourists,  gazing 
for  the  first  time  on  these  "  untutored 


children  of  nature,  "  peddling  their 
stock  of  San  Francisco-made  curios, 
fall  ready  victims  to  their  wiles.  Back 
of  this  narrow  strip  of  country,  sepa- 
rating it  from  Cfreater  Alaska  on  Ww. 
north,  rugged  ranges  of  ice-covered 
mountains  set  their  cold  shoulders 
against  the  sky,  and  oppose  an  almost 
impassable  barrier  to  the  explorer. 
What  is  beyond  ? 

Following  the  lead  of  salt  water 
through  narrow  channels  and  into 
deep  fiords  as  far  north  as  a  ship  may 
go,  a  few  hardy  explorers  and  pros- 
pecting miners  have  reached  the  head 
of  Lynn  Channel,  and  from  thence 
found  their  way  over  the  mountains 
through  the  Chilcat,  or  Chilcoot  passes 
and  £0  reached  the  headwaters  of  the 
mighty  Yukon.  But  the  effort  to 
reach  this  point  has  been  so  great  that 
further  endeavors  to  explore  the  un- 
known interior  with  no  other  means 
of  transportation  than  those  available 
in  the  past,  have  invariably  met  with 
defeat  and  .sometimes  resulted  in  death. 

If  we  draw  a  line  from  east  to  west 
through  the  mountain  range  which 
separates  the  headwaters  of  the 
Yukon  from  salt  water  on  the  south, 
that  portion  of  the  great  territory  of 
Alaska  lying  north  of  this  line,  with 
its  western  shores  washed  by  the 
waters  of  Bering  Sea  and  stretching 
away  northward  to  the  Arctic  Ocean, 
occupies  an  area  equal  to  the  com- 
bined areas  of  all  the  New  England 
and  Middle  States,  together  with  Ohio, 
Indiana  and  Illinois.  Here  is  a  coun- 
try of  undulating,  moss-covered  plains, 
diversified  here  and 
there  by  forests  of 
spruce  and  pine,  white 
birch  and  cedar  trees, 
with  warm  valleys 
clothed  in  verdure  and 
sheltered  from  the  cold 
winds  by  low  ranges  of 
mountains,  none  more 
than  3,000  feet  high. 
We.stward  from  the  junction  of  llu 
Tan-nen-nah  and  the  Yukon  rive's  tn 
Bering  Sea,  and  northward  to  the 
Arctic  Ocean,  the  country  is,  so  far 


Earrings. 


tion 

must  ( 

food 

the 

make 

day. 


ALASKA   AND   THE    REINDEER. 


371 


as  known,  of  the  same  general  character.  There  are  in  this  region  between 
300,000  and  400,000  square  miles  of  comparatively  level  moss-  and  grass-covered 
plains,  dotted  by  innumerable  lakes  and 
drained  by  hundreds  of  rivers,  forming  an 
ideal  grazing  country  for  countless  herds  of 
reindeer.  At  the  present  time  this  vast  terri- 
tory is  terra  incogtiita  except  from  reports 
furnished  by  the  native".  The  difficulties  of 
travel  and  transportation  have  been  so  great 
in  the  past  that  it  has  remained  unexplored. 
It  is  impossible  to  make  any  progress  over 
the  soft,  spongy  iundra  during  the  summer, 
and  during  the  winter  montlis,  the  distances 
between  the  few  scattered  .settlements  are  st) 
great  that  dog  teams  are  inadeqnate  for  pur- 
poses of  travel  by  sleds.  According  to  the 
most  reliable  census,  there  are  in  this  portion 
of  Alaska  between  20,000  and  25,000  natives. 
It  is  to  these  people,  gradually  but  certainly 
being  exterminated  by  starvation,  and  in  this 
region  so  little  known,  that  the  importation  and 
propagation  of  the  domesticated  reindeer  will 
opan  up  a  new  and  prosperous  future. 

In  order  to  appreciate  the  full  significance 
of  the  new  scheme  and  its  influence  on  the 
future  development  of  Alaska,  it  will  only  be 
necessary  to  state  the  relative  working 
efficiency  of  a  dog  team  and  that  of  a 
reindeer  team.     A  dog  team,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  ordinary  load  on  the  sled, 
must  carry  its  own  supply  of 
food  for  the    trip.      Under 
the  best  conditions,  dogs  can 
make  about  forty  miles  per 
day,   carrying  a  weight  of 


Holstlns  in  a  Reindeer  on  Board  the  "  Bear." 
IVttun  a  pbotog.apb  by  Assistant  Eng^ineer,  A.  L,.  Broadbent,  U.  8.  B.  SC] 


-,T-~Tia:gCTP  'IM'IMI  II— IBM 


272 


ALASKA   AND   THE    REINDEER. 


li 

.;                         ( 

V 

'             \ 

a  ■ 

s 

h     : 

■^^ 

about  fifty  pounds  for  each  dog  em- 
ployed. 

Under  like  conditions  each  reindeer 
will  carry  a  weight  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds,  and  the  team  will 
easily  cover  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  a  day.  Besides,  the  reindeer's 
only  food  is  the  moss  and  lichens 
which  grow  everywhere  and  can  be 
obtained  by  the  animals  at  all  seasons 
of  the  year  without  difficulty. 

Dogs,  and  especially  the  breed  of 
dogs  at  present  -sed  by  the  Alaskan 
natives,  are  quarrelsome,  become  fret- 
ful and  unmanageable  when  tired, 
and  frequently  are  dangerous  to  their 
owners  on  account  of  attacks  of  hydro- 
phobia. The  reindeer,  on  the  other 
hand,  are  the  most  tractable  and  docile 
beasts  of  burden  known  to  man. 

The  initial  steps  in  this  humane 
measure  have  already  been  taken,  and 
success  for  its  larger  development 
demonstrated  by  private  aid.  It  now 
rests  with  the  Government  tocarr>'on 
the  good  work  and  extend  the  .:ystem 
to  its  legitimate  limits.*  If  it  is  a 
.sound  public  policy  to  bore  artesian 
wells  and  build  water-storage  reser- 
voirs by  which  thousands  of  arid 
acres  can  be  reclaimed  from  barren- 
ness and  made  fruitful,  it  is  equally  a 

♦  A  bill  is  now  pendiiiR  before  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, hnving  passed  the  Senate  last  year,  appro- 
priating the  sum  of  $15,000  for  the  establishment  of 
experimental  stations  in  Alaska  for  the  propagatioa 
of  reindeer. 


sound  public  policy  to  stock  the 
plains  of  Alaska  with  herds  of  domes- 
ticated reindeer,  and  cause  those  va.st, 
dreary,  desolate  and  now  useless 
regions  to  minister  to  the  wealth, 
happiness,  comfort  and  well-being  of 
man. 

W  th  the  establishment  of  reindeer 
stations  at  Point  Barrow,  Point  Hope, 
Port  Clarence  and  on  the  Yuknn  River 
next  year,  it  will  be  possible  to  send 
a  letter  from  St.  Michaels,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Yukon,  to  the  Refuge 
station  at  Point  Barrow  in  mid  winter, 
and  receive  an  answer  in  less  than 
three  weeks  ;  and  with  the  extension 
of  the  system  by  the  establishment  of 
relay  stations  at  three  points  on  the 
coast  south  of  St.  Michaels,  a  Christ- 
mas greeting  can  be  sent  from  San 
Franci.sco  by  way  of  Kodiak  Lsland 
and  across  the  Alaskan  peninsula  to 
the  most  northern  point  on  the  West- 
ern Continent — Point  Barrow — in  less 
than  thirty  days.  When  one  stops 
to  consider  that  the  same  point 
is  at  present  closed  to  communication 
by  ice  during  ten  months  of  the  year, 
and  that  there  are  .seasons,  even  during 
the  two  months  that  it  is  free  from  ice. 
when  neither  news  nor  relief  may 
reach  the  weary  watchers  and  toilers 
in  this  remote  field,  any  project  which 
has  for  its  end  the  lifting  of  their  bur- 
dens, will  be  hailed  with  joy  by  ever>' 
true  lover  of  mankind. 


lit  th»r«  l» 


41     f—mT' 


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1  - 

9  „■ 


